Klaus
“You were right, you failed as a mother,” I barked coldly at her, not caring about how she would feel coming this from her son whom she dearly loved. “If you would have shown a tiny ray of faith in me and supported me when I would have been fighting, I would have made you proud, mom but you broke my heart today.”
“Yes, I’m a shameless selfish mother who wants her son alive at any cost, even at the cost of getting hate from her own son,” she said with teary eyes. “I don’t want to be proud of a martyred son," she stifled a sob as she enunciated.
I scoffed, “that proves how much you trust me and for a man, the most crucial moment is when anyone questions his capability and for a son, it's disheartening to see his mom not trusting him. You hurt my existence,” adding this, I made my way to leave.
“Remember that if you still challenge Alpha King, you’ll be the enemy of eleven packs, and our pack would be in a miserable situation forever,” mum reminded me of why I couldn’t fight against the Dark Moon pack ever.
The tears threatened to fall from my eyes so I embraced the silence and hiked to my room, avoiding Marcus and Jenny’s questions when I passed by my mom's room. They were waiting for me to come out of her room but at that moment, I preferred my solitude.
Coming to my room, I locked the door of my room and slept on the bed, closing my eyes to let all the liquid out from my eyes. The more I made efforts to get my mate, the more struggle I had to face and I wasn’t scared of it but the consequences my pack would suffer from.
I couldn’t believe how my own family stabbed in my back, my mom who claimed to love me manipulated me, and played with my emotions. I had no expectations from my father, he clearly cared about the rank, position, and powers but my mom… I thought that she cared about me but expectations hurt badly.
I wished they would have arranged my Alpha ceremony before my wedding so I could technically be an Alpha and could challenge Alpha King but my mother was right. I didn’t have that position and the only option that seemed better to me was to die.
Dying seemed better than living life with someone who wasn’t my mate, bearing the pain of separation from my mate when we both wanted each other, and spending eternity in burning flames of regrets.
“Klaus, open the door,” my father used his Alpha voice. I yearned for a day when he didn’t have to command us to make us do something when he would be our father, not just an Alpha who loved his authorities.
Climbing from the bed, I sauntered to the door and opened it for him. A victorious grin played on his lips as he invited himself into my room and sat on the couch. He never missed a chance to surprise me despite living twenty years with him.
“Come here, son,” his voice seemed more like an order rather than a proposal. I reluctantly sat beside him, preparing myself to listen to whatever rubbish he would offer.
“Your mother has decided that your wedding will happen tomorrow afternoon before the Alpha ceremony in the night,” said my father, offering me his handkerchief which I declined to accept.
“Of course, she’ll,” I shrugged, not crying over it. Her adamant face and cold voice without any warmth had made me assume that she would do anything rather than let me be Alpha and participate in Alpha duel.
His hand reached my cheek to wipe the barren tears as I didn’t bother hiding them when he knocked. They should see what they were doing to me, they should see how much pain they were giving me and how they were ruining my life.
“The tears ain’t suitable for men. We should never ever let anyone see that our eyes can wet, too,” my father advised.
Yanking his hand, I stopped him from touching my face. “Why? Who made this rule? Don’t men get hurt, too? Maybe not all,” I chaffed, taunting him as he was a man whom I never saw hurting. “But there are some men like me who know the worth of a true mate and you’re separating us. You’re giving me unbearable pain for a lifetime and everyone should see how much it’s hurting me to even imagine my life without my mate,” my voice became deadly low as I pronounced the last line to show him what he was doing to me.
“Men are supposed to hide their pain and wear a mask of an emotionless creature,” he began, smiling like I made some kind of joke. “I have been through the similar shit, unluckily. Your mother and I aren’t true mates. My mate was an omega whom I had to reject as she couldn’t be our Luna and then, I started sleeping around so I could forget my mate but couldn’t succeed till now.”
His lips twitched into a smile as he started talking about his mate. The shock would be an understatement to describe what I was feeling at that time. They hid this truth for more than two decades, we were told that my parents were true mates but here, he was sharing perhaps the darkest secret of his life.
He continued, “Evelyn got pregnant and I had to marry her,” he said lamentably. “Your mother was a daughter of Beta so your grandfather approved of our relationship and look, here we are living happily with each other.” A tragic smile replaced his authentic smile that I had never seen before and he shrugged as if it didn’t hurt.
Heeding his story, I felt sorry for him. My father hid his pain from everyone and always cared about his rank but he was forced to do so. He was enduring the pain I couldn't imagine for myself with a counterfeit facade.
“Where is she?” The words escaped my mouth before I could realize it.
He nodded his head nonchalantly. “I don’t know, I was also forced to reject her which changed my entire life and me.”
“So you decided to make it a ritual and let me also suffer through this because I am not your mate’s son,” I calculated the reason why he didn’t help me and why he never loved me as a father should.
“No, son. I never wanted this for you. You’re my son," he assured me, shaking my shoulder. "Your mother isn’t my mate but that’s not your fault,” he said genuinely, holding my hands for the first time. I wanted to believe him but I doubted his intentions.
“I never wanted you to feel the pain I had to feel, I wanted to escape my whole life but your grandfather had fixed your engagement before he could realize that he had ruined two generations’ lives,” he explained, deciphering the doubts in my eyes. “I fought with him the day I got to know what he did but it was too late so I accepted the fact and forced you to accept it, too.”
I was rendered speechless by what he revealed for a moment. “What do you want me to do now? Should I suffer my whole life like you?”
He facepalmed himself and shook his head. “No, son. I want you to understand the fact that the wedding is inevitable but you can do one thing,” he licked his lips in nervousness, a habit that I got from him.
“What?”
“You can keep your mate, you don’t have to reject her. She can stay at the packhouse or her aunt’s house whilst your wife can stay here and well, the rest of the thing you know already.”
“You must be kidding me,” I ridiculed, faking a short laugh before having a cold face. “My mate should live with dignity, not as a… mistress,” I said with my gritted teeth, restraining my anger.
He shot a pitiful glance my way before rising to his feet. “I’m sorry, Klaus. I pretended not to care for a long time but I can’t do this anymore. I don’t want you to suffer through what I endured, I wish Alpha King would change his mind anyhow.”
“Can’t we delay the wedding until my Alpha ceremony?” I asked, suppressing my lips.
“I know what you’re thinking but we can never win against the Alpha King. Even if you win the Alpha duel, you’ll make eleven packs your enemy as he is our Alpha King,” he reasoned, which was adequate and fact before leaving my room.
Then, it would end with just me. If I’ll end myself, all the suffering and misery will end. My mate wouldn’t have to see me with someone else, I wouldn’t have to live a life that I didn’t want.